Interested in building a better Carlington? Want to help the CCA be an even more effective force for good in our community?

There's never been a better time to get involved than right now.

We've just launched an exciting new opportunity for Carlington community members to play a part in the future of our association and community. We're looking for passionate residents to take part in a conversation about the future of our association and community.

We'd love to hear your ideas.

Join one of four new committees studying some of the most pressing challenges facing the CCA and our neighbourhood. Over the coming weeks and months, small groups of CCA members will meet at fun, informal meetings to discuss fundraising, membership, zoning/construction/infill issues (what we've loosely dubbed 'development') and communications. From these small discussions and brainstorming sessions, you'll make a difference by charting the CCA's priorities.

Councillors will soon consider a proposal from staff to allow digital billboards in most commercial and industrial areas, subject to a number of new or amended regulations, with a decision to be taken in the coming weeks. You can read all about the proposed changes here.

As you might be aware, the City has been studying the idea for more than 18 months. Carling (at Kirkwood) was selected as one of three digital billboard pilot sites after City Council directed staff to investigate the issue in 2010.

Highlights of the proposed digital billboard changes provided by the City include:

Limit digital signage to billboards only at this time, and allow in many, but not all, commercial and industrial areas of the City

Establish a maximum night-time brightness for digital billboards – to be the most restrictive in Canada

Set a minimum length of time that images must remain static in order to minimize distraction

Introduce new and greater setbacks requirements compared to conventional billboards in order to buffer digital billboards from sensitive land uses.

Some have complained that digital billboards will act as a distraction to drivers and that the City's proposed setbacks are inadequate, given that they are less than what is currently required for illuminated signs. What do you think?

Community members can submit comments until Friday, June 15, 2012 by sending written feedback to digitalsigns@ottawa.ca. Residents and stakeholders who submit comments or make a request to be notified of the Planning Committee meeting will be notified of the meeting date and will also be able to make a presentation at Planning Committee.

What do you think about digital billboards in Ottawa's commercial and industrial areas? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and contribute to the process by emailing the City to make your voice heard.

This past Saturday's Carlington Yard & Plant Sale was a great success. Light showers throughout the morning made for some happy plants and did nothing to dampen the mood at Harrold Place Park where the CCA was joined by members of the Atlantic Voices Choir who helped convert the park into a veritable green thumb heaven.

In addition to the sale itself, CCA volunteers hosted a tulip workshop on Viscount where even the youngest aspiring gardeners got to try their hand at cleaning and preparing the more than 1,000 bulbs donated by the National Capital Commission in support of the Carlington Tulip Initiative. Be sure to get involved!

We figure gardeners are a hardy bunch, so we're going ahead as planned with the Carlington Plant & Yard Sale. Rain or shine, we'll be waiting for you at Harrold Place Park with some of the world's best baked goods and a raft of great garden gear. Don't forget your rainboots!